Rising energy costs are a certainty for landlords and tenants, yet a number of measures can be taken to reduce operating costs without degrading the quality of a building.

Johannesburg - A spike in producer price inflation snapped an eight-month sliding streak but failed to dampen hopes that the Reserve Bank would cut interest rates by at least 1 percentage point in a fortnight, economists said yesterday.

Latest Statistics SA data reflects decelerating inflationary pressure on the SA economy.

Annual interim valuations (also known as additional valuations) just completed for City properties will result in adjustments to some 20 000 property values and rates.

Construction of a R200-million shopping centre in Lenasia is expected to get under way by January.

STRATEGIC planning in facilities management will be a key focus of a major international conference to be held in Gauteng in November.

THE local grocery retail sector is not seen as an attractive investment opportunity by global retail groups, a food retail market study conducted by research company A T Kearney has revealed.

It is simplistic to assert that one asset class is better than another, property economist Erwin Rode told the Personal Finance/Fairbairn Capital Investors Club in Cape Town recently. Choosing the "right" asset class depends on the trend in the inflation rate.

Now is not a sensible time to invest in international property, David Green, the head of research and investment management at ipac SA, told a recent meeting of the ipac/Personal Finance Investors Club in Johannesburg.

Depending on what you do, you can make money by owning property directly, while the value of stock exchange investments are influenced by trends beyond your control. This was the message from Francois Viruly, a property economist.